I eat ok during the day, fruit and carb for breakfast, pro/carb for lunch, fruit snack at 3:00pm then I always blow the whole day at night. I get up at 4:30am and get my workout in before the kids get up at 6:00, work from 8:00 to 5:30, then its transporting kids (three teenagers) or going to sports. I get very stressed at work and when we finally get home I usually end up eating later than I want and also what the kids are eating. I always feel terrible by the end of the day, when it always starts out good. I love working out, how do you guys handle stress at night and not overeat? Any suggestions would be great.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Help with after work stress eating
- Thread starter maureen
- Start date
H
honeybunch
Guest
My suggestion would be to eat more at 3:00, and eat more than just fruit. Consider putting peanut butter on a big apple, and just watch your peanut butter portion. Two tablespoons is a "serving," and that's not a lot. Or, peanut butter on two slices of whole wheat bread.
Personally, I take a giant salad to work that consists of 1-1/2 cups of chopped chicken breast, 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, and salad greens...all filling up a 12 cup rubbermaid bowl. I use fat-free, sugar free dressing, and season it with Mrs. Dash. I eat 1/2 of this salad at noon along with whole wheat pita bread, then eat the second half of the salad at 3:00. This keeps me filled up till 6:00 or longer.
It's all in the planning, my dear. Also, PLAN on not eating what your kids eat. It's a drag, but it works.
For what it's worth, take it or leave it.
Personally, I take a giant salad to work that consists of 1-1/2 cups of chopped chicken breast, 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, and salad greens...all filling up a 12 cup rubbermaid bowl. I use fat-free, sugar free dressing, and season it with Mrs. Dash. I eat 1/2 of this salad at noon along with whole wheat pita bread, then eat the second half of the salad at 3:00. This keeps me filled up till 6:00 or longer.
It's all in the planning, my dear. Also, PLAN on not eating what your kids eat. It's a drag, but it works.
For what it's worth, take it or leave it.
S
srmohler
Guest
Maureen,
I also get up at 430 every morning to work out. I have two teenagers that I often haul around in the evenings, as well!
I make sure I eat a good breakfast before I leave for work at 7:00. I then have fruit for a 10 am snack, small sandwich/soup for lunch, and then more fruit for an afternoon snack. If I'm still hungry at work, I drink something to fill me up. Usually hot tea or sugar free hot chocolate. That keeps me going until I get home.
THEN, when I get home, I try to eat immediately. Often, it's a very small bowl of cereal, or a piece of bread with peanut butter or cheese on it. This will hold me until dinner, and I make sure that I only eat one plate of food at dinner. If we aren't having dinner at home because of all of the running around, I try to eat salad/soup or a baked potato, because restaurant food is SO fattening. It's very hard to not snack on junk all evening, but you have to concentrate on keeping hunger at bay with GOOD snacks. As long as something is in my stomach, I do ok.
Good luck,
Sandi M
I also get up at 430 every morning to work out. I have two teenagers that I often haul around in the evenings, as well!
I make sure I eat a good breakfast before I leave for work at 7:00. I then have fruit for a 10 am snack, small sandwich/soup for lunch, and then more fruit for an afternoon snack. If I'm still hungry at work, I drink something to fill me up. Usually hot tea or sugar free hot chocolate. That keeps me going until I get home.
THEN, when I get home, I try to eat immediately. Often, it's a very small bowl of cereal, or a piece of bread with peanut butter or cheese on it. This will hold me until dinner, and I make sure that I only eat one plate of food at dinner. If we aren't having dinner at home because of all of the running around, I try to eat salad/soup or a baked potato, because restaurant food is SO fattening. It's very hard to not snack on junk all evening, but you have to concentrate on keeping hunger at bay with GOOD snacks. As long as something is in my stomach, I do ok.
Good luck,
Sandi M
You can also try eating small meals every three hours, keeping your sugar levels normal and cravings basically nonexistent. Keep a can of Planter's Mixed Nuts (very filling, and a source of good fat - something you need), protein bars, and more veggies instead of fruit. Eat only 1 serving at every three hour eating increment, when desired.
My friends mom ate tons of fruit everyday, she thought she was being healthy and keeping up with her requirements, BUT she was getting too much sugar from all of the fruit and she kept gaining weight. Finally her doctor told her to limit herself to one to two servings of fruit a day and leave the rest to veggies. She ended up losing weight without trying and has maintained her desired weight for years now. : )
My friends mom ate tons of fruit everyday, she thought she was being healthy and keeping up with her requirements, BUT she was getting too much sugar from all of the fruit and she kept gaining weight. Finally her doctor told her to limit herself to one to two servings of fruit a day and leave the rest to veggies. She ended up losing weight without trying and has maintained her desired weight for years now. : )
HEY! I find that eating small frequent meals throughout the day really helps prevent pig outs and cravings. Aim to get a bit of protein, healthy fat, and carbs at each snack or meal. Check out the "what do you eat?" post in this forum for some meal or snack ideas! Anyway, keep trail mix, whole grain cereals and crackers, string cheese, soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, instant soups (like health valley or fantastic foods brands), lowfat yogurt, and fruit handy (in the glove box, in your desk drawer, in your pantry) so they are there when you need them! One trick that really works for me is to cook in bulk... I'll cook up a bunch of chicken breasts and fish, and then freeze them. When dinner time rolls around, I can easily heat up whatever protein I am in the mood for. I keep a variety of frozen veggies in the freezer (artichokes, asparagus, okra, spinach, brussel sprouts, etc) so I have a wide variety, and heat them in the micro for a side dish to the meat. Then I'll nuke a sweet potato and have that as well. Heat your meat, your veggies, and bake the sweet potato, top the veggies with herbs and a bit of olive oil and put some salsa or nutmeg and cinnamon on your sweet spud and you've got a quick, healthy, filling meal that is ready in about 10-15 mins! And it should hold you over until morning! I work out at 5:30 am first thing in the morning, too, and I like to go to bed still satisfied from dinner since I don't want to be hungry before I work out. Hope this helped you! Please respond and tell me what you think. Healthy regards and happy eating to all!
musclemaiden
Cathlete
Sarah
I usually cook my meals for the week on Sundays too but I have a question about freezing. If I use frozen chicken breast is it o.k. to freeze them again once I cook them. I'm not sure why but I didn't think you were suppose to do this. I'm not a very good cook and actually only started cooking about two years ago when I decided to start eating as clean as possible. I usually cook on Sunday and keep the food in the refridgerator (sp?) but by Thursday I start getting worried that it has been in the fridge too long. Freezing would definitely be safer.
I usually cook my meals for the week on Sundays too but I have a question about freezing. If I use frozen chicken breast is it o.k. to freeze them again once I cook them. I'm not sure why but I didn't think you were suppose to do this. I'm not a very good cook and actually only started cooking about two years ago when I decided to start eating as clean as possible. I usually cook on Sunday and keep the food in the refridgerator (sp?) but by Thursday I start getting worried that it has been in the fridge too long. Freezing would definitely be safer.
HEY! Well, I buy frozen fish, the cook it, and refreeze it. I have never had any problems. As long as you thaw it properly and WAIT FOR THE FOOD TO COOL after you cook it before you refreeze it, it should be fine! What kinds of things do you cook? I freeze all my chicken and meat so it'll last longer. I'm not sure how long it would keep in the fridge, so freezing works best for me. Let me know what you think! And share some meal ideas if you don't mind! What's a typical day of eating look like for you? Thanks!
musclemaiden
Cathlete
Sarah I don't think you will get any new eating ideas from me. I eat pretty much the same things everyday (of course I vary my fruits and vegetables) and allow myself a free day every week when I eat just about anything I want (but not too much junk food). On free days I usually go for a huge bowl of pasta or pizza and a bowl of frozen yogurt.
Typical day:
Breakfast -- 3 egg whites & 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 banana.
Mid Morning snack -- 1/2 lowfat cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup of lowfat yogurt.
Lunch -- Turkey, chicken or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with mustard lettuce and side of carrot sticks.
Afternoon snack -- piece of fruit with some form of protein maybe more cottage cheese or protein bar.
Dinner -- Fish or Chicken with either Brown rice, baked or sweet potato, and plenty of vegetables.
Night time snack -- This is very optional I only have a night time snack if I am hungry. If not I skip it and have a cup of herbal tea. I sometimes have an ounce of nuts and a cup of fat free hot chocolate or in the warmer weather I will have a protein shake.
Typical day:
Breakfast -- 3 egg whites & 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 banana.
Mid Morning snack -- 1/2 lowfat cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup of lowfat yogurt.
Lunch -- Turkey, chicken or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with mustard lettuce and side of carrot sticks.
Afternoon snack -- piece of fruit with some form of protein maybe more cottage cheese or protein bar.
Dinner -- Fish or Chicken with either Brown rice, baked or sweet potato, and plenty of vegetables.
Night time snack -- This is very optional I only have a night time snack if I am hungry. If not I skip it and have a cup of herbal tea. I sometimes have an ounce of nuts and a cup of fat free hot chocolate or in the warmer weather I will have a protein shake.
HEY! Sounds like a great day of eating to me! I have a few breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that I eat every week, too. Another thing I do is keep frozen veggie burgers on hand to eat in place of a chicken breat or fish when I want something different with dinner. They come in different flavors and are great topped with salsa or herbs. Do you eat soy at all?
journal?
Have you considered keeping a food journal? I do the same thing- eat okay during the day, and then at night I just pick on junk food, which really adds up. But when you have to write down everything, you see all of those bites of cake, handful of chips, etc. that you're eating.
I try to allow myself 1 or 2 small fun foods a day (I don't need to lose a lot of weight though) and that's it. If it's 9pm and I'm hungry, but have had my fun foods, I eat something healthy like a salad or some soup.
Good Luck!
Have you considered keeping a food journal? I do the same thing- eat okay during the day, and then at night I just pick on junk food, which really adds up. But when you have to write down everything, you see all of those bites of cake, handful of chips, etc. that you're eating.
I try to allow myself 1 or 2 small fun foods a day (I don't need to lose a lot of weight though) and that's it. If it's 9pm and I'm hungry, but have had my fun foods, I eat something healthy like a salad or some soup.
Good Luck!
RE: journal?
I am going to start writing everything down. A lot of experts say to do this also. I just always felt like it would take up to much time. I did go shopping today for all healthy items and had a really clean eating day, (of course I didnt work, and I always eat much better when I dont work), but I am looking forward to a good week, thanks again everybody.
I am going to start writing everything down. A lot of experts say to do this also. I just always felt like it would take up to much time. I did go shopping today for all healthy items and had a really clean eating day, (of course I didnt work, and I always eat much better when I dont work), but I am looking forward to a good week, thanks again everybody.